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Unlikely as it may seem amid the skyscrapers of Avenida Afonso Pena, the city limits are only a short bus ride away to the south. Here, the urban sprawl is abruptly cut off by the steep hills of the Serra do Curral , a natural barrier that forces the city to expand in other directions. The slopes are the site of a huge nature reserve, the 600-hectare Parque das Mangabeiras (Tues-Sun 8am-6pm; free), where you can walk along forest paths that open out now and again to reveal spectacular views of the city below. To get there, catch the blue #2001-C bus, marked "Aparecida", from Avenida Afonso Pena between Avenida Amazonas and Rua Tamoios: it's a fifteen-minute steep drive to the terminus above the park entrance. When returning to the city, you can avoid having to climb back up to the main entrance by leaving the park through the small northern gate, much lower down, and catching the #6001 bus just outside. The park is so big it has its own internal bus service ; buses leave every thirty minutes from the left of the entrance, and end up there again twenty minutes later after making a circuit of the park. Near the entrance is a well-kept leisure area, with fountains, rows of lanchonetes and an open-air amphitheatre, the Teatro de Arena , where something often happens on Sundays. The best view of the city is from the Mirante da Mata viewing platform, a twenty-minute walk from the entrance; the finest walks are along the nature trails and streams of the Parque Florestal , a little further along. Maps of the park are available from the park office near the main entrance.
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